ORGAN DONATIONS
House Bill 4349
Sponsor: Rep. Keith Stallworth
Committee: Health Policy
Complete to 9-12-01
A SUMMARY OF HOUSE BILL 4349 AS INTRODUCED 2-27-01
House Bill 4349 would amend several provisions of the Public Health Code pertaining to organ donations. The law permits an individual of sound mind and 18 years of age or more to donate all or any physical part of his or her body upon death for specific purposes. Such a donation may be made to a hospital or to "a bank or storage facility"-among others-for medical or dental education, research advancement of medical or dental science, therapy, or transplantation.
The bill would specify that all or any part of an individual's body could be given to a hospital that was a local or regional organ transplantation center for the purpose of transplantation. A "bank or storage facility" would include the federally designated organ procurement organization in whose service area the gift was made. Also, the bill would require a hospital that was the donee of a body part designated for transplantation-but did not have a patient who needed that type of transplant-
to offer the body part to the federally designated organ procurement organization in whose service area the hospital was located.
The code also establishes a protocol for hospital personnel to follow when asking a patient or the family members of a dying or recently deceased person for a donation of all or any physical part of the decedent's body. The bill would add that the person making the request for an organ donation could provide a patient or the person to whom the request was made with a document of gift that conformed to the code's requirements for a uniform donor card. (House Bill 4348 would amend the section of the Public Health Code that contains this provision, but in different ways. For details, see the summary of House Bill 4348, dated 9-12-01.)
MCL 333.10102 et al.
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This analysis was prepared by nonpartisan House staff for use by House members in their deliberations, and does not constitute an official statement of legislative intent.